Western Australian Electoral Commission to investigate ballot paper shortages and long queues on election day

ABC NEWS (Australia)

There are growing calls for an independent inquiry into the WA Electoral Commission's handling of the state election, following complaints of long queues and insufficient ballot papers.

Transcript

00:001, 2, 3.

00:04As counting continues in Fremantle, Simone McGurk is counting the cost of Labor policies.

00:12I think there are messages about the environment, about the need for climate action and actually

00:17as a government we need to heed those messages.

00:21The Water Minister suffering a 28% swing to Teal independent Kate Hewlett, who was backed

00:26by Simon Holmes Accord's Climate 200.

00:29I did get feedback that people were concerned about the environment and concerned that government

00:35isn't doing enough, particularly on climate change.

00:39There is an urgency around that.

00:41It's so exciting, no matter the outcome we've won so much here and won the hearts and minds

00:47of the people of Fremantle who think, oh I can have a say and I can participate and I'm

00:51paying attention now, we're not being excluded from politics, we're being included.

00:56The seat remains on a knife edge, with Cabinet decisions put on hold pending the result.

01:01The ABC understands there are currently nine seats in doubt.

01:05Labor is ahead in four of those, including South Perth.

01:09The Liberals are ahead in three, including Kalamunda and Albany.

01:13And the Nationals and Independent are ahead in the remaining two seats.

01:18As counting continues here in Fremantle, there are calls for an independent review into how

01:22the entire election was run, following reports of staffing issues, long queues and a shortage

01:28of ballot papers.

01:30Whatever colour you vote, whether you're a Green, One Nation, Liberal, Labor, people

01:35have a right to vote.

01:37The fact that we're hearing people were turned away is a serious concern.

01:42It's my view that the first act of the new Parliament, the 42nd Parliament, should be

01:47to suspend the Electoral Commissioner and to initiate a full Parliamentary inquiry into

01:53the conduct of the 2025 state election.

01:56The WA Electoral Commissioner, Robert Kennedy, says the Commission will cooperate with any

02:01Parliamentary inquiry and will also conduct its own review.

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